A Look Into 1986 And Beyond Summer Worker Shortage

January 1, 1986

A drop in the number of teen-agers created a healthy market for job seekers in some areas of the country in 1985. In 1986, with even less teen-agers, the job surplus will be even greater. However, most of the jobs that will be open are low paying -- $3.50 to $5.00 an hour -- and not always in the most convenient locations. Urban areas, particularly in large metropolitan areas, will not be affected by this shortage, for instance, but some suburban regions and upscale resort areas will be competing with higher wages to attract workers because of the problem.

Prime targets for would-be job seekers in the summer of 1986 are the Northeast coast, especially beach resort areas, Midwestern suburbs, and the working communities surrounding Washington, D.C.

NEW JOBS BEHIND BARS

A new trend is developing in the U.S. penal system: the operation of prison facilities by private companies. Local and regional governments, increasingly under pressure to relieve overcrowding and cut budgets, are turning more and more to the private sector for help.

Some of the systems that have been transferred to private management are in California, Kentucky, Philadelphia and Portland, Ore. Final decisions are pending on privatization in Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. With this new prison management comes new job opportunities. Private companies hire prison personnel -- including maintenance, guards, and management -- with different guidelines than the government, and are able to fill jobs more rapidly and maintain more efficient work loads than the understaffed and generally cumbersome civil systems.

Efficient, cost-saving programs run by private companies are proving the value of this new approach. With their success will come expansion of the concept, and many new job opportunities around the country.

BEGGING FOR WORKERS

The nation`s fast food industry is running out of workers. Despite increases in pay -- the average starting wage in the industry is $3.59 per hour, 24 cents more than the minimum wage -- more than 75 percent of all fast food outlets reported job openings in 1985. Because of the difficulty in finding enough help, some of these restaurants are offering bonuses to employees who bring in new workers, more raises for experienced workers and additional benefits.